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Listen to the Music!

Got a young music buff at home? Have him put the instrument down and take the ear buds out for a beat ortwo. He can learn all about some of the most famous, most influential musicians and movements of all time

with this set of fantastic 4th grade reading comprehension worksheets.

Table of ContentsHistory of Jazz

History of the BluesHistory of Rock 'n' Roll

History of Hip Hop MusicHistory of Motown

History of SoulJazz Greats: Etta James

Jazz Greats: John ColtraneGeorge Gershwin

Rodgers and HammersteinCole Porter Biography

Irving BerlinLeonard Bernstein Biography

History of the PianoHistory of the Guitar

Name Date

The History of JazzDirections: Read the passage below and answer the questions that follow.

Did you know that jazz music has been around since the late 1800s? It began in African American communities in the South. Since then, jazz has taken the world by storm.

After the abolishment of slavery, many freed slaves tried to �nd work. With strict segregation laws in the South, former slaves had trouble �nding jobs. Most laws did not apply to working in entertainment, though. African Americans got jobs performing music in vaudeville and variety shows. In these shows, an upbeat music called ragtime was popular.

The speci�c birthplace of jazz is New Orleans, Louisiana. It is in this city that ragtime music transformed into jazz music. People from all over the world came by boat every day to the port city of New Orleans. They brought musical traditions from their home countries to New Orleans. The nightclubs and entertainment venues blended the di�erent styles of music. Spanish music, blues, gospel music, and African music were mixed. It then became the lively style known as jazz.

The sounds of jazz spread like wild�re in the 1920s. The United States was changing. Women gained the right to vote. Prohibition came to an end. Wild jazz music became the perfect background music to the turbulent times. Young people of all backgrounds began to take an interest in jazz. This period of time became known as “The Jazz Age”.

Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington are two famous African American musicians. These talented songwriters and performers added excitement to the genre. The Jazz Age included some famous women jazz artists, too. Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday are two beloved performers. These musicians brought their unique talents to the genre. Their in�uences continue to impact the music world today.

Jazz grew and changed through the years. Many new forms of music were created. Jazz’s in�uence reaches almost every form of popular music today.

1. How is jazz related to other types of music?

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. When did jazz become popular?

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3. What is signi�cant about “The Jazz Age”?

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

4. Why did musical styles from other countries in�uence jazz?

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The Blues

Bessie Smith, legendary blues singer

Social StudiesAnswers: 1. CHRISTIAN 2. DEEP SOUTH 3. BALLAD

Blues music has its roots in tribal African music. Though they were forbidden to practice traditional ways, Africans slaves held onto their rhythms and melodies through song. As in their homeland, African-American slaves sang rhythmic songs as they planted and harvested crops.They also created spirituals, a form of religious song, out of traditional melodies combined with Biblical themes. These songs expressed religious faith while also expressing the terrible hardships of slavery. After Emancipation, the distinct rhythms and melodies carried over into free African-American culture, finally evolving into blues music. Still played today, blues are the root of many other forms of modern music, including rock and roll and jazz.

Unscramble the letters to form the word that completes the sentence.

1. The African-American spiritual came about when traditional African religion and music mixed with African-Americans' new _________ beliefs.

Word scramble!

3. Many traditional and contemporary blues songs tell the story of an individual character. This type of song is known as a _________ .

2. Blues music originated in a region of the United States called the __________ __________ .

ANHRISCIT

EPED HOSTU

ADALBL

Do you have a favorite rock and roll, blues or jazz song? What makes it special?

ROCK AND ROLLAnswers: 1.CIVIL RIGHTS2.ELVIS PRESLEY3.COVERS

Rock and roll began in the American south; a combination of the many styles of music that existed in the country at the time. Up until the late 1940s, different cultures in America had created their own styles of music, including blues, jazz, folk, country and swing. Around that time, musicians began to combine the different styles of music, and soon they came together to resemble what we now consider rock and roll. The earliest rock songs are mainly influenced by country and blues.

With more and more families enjoying new prosperity after World War II, their teenage children had free time and money to spend. They began attending local dances and concerts where they heard this new style of music played, and soon began spending their money on records. Disc jockeys began to notice the popularity of the music and began playing it on their radio stations, pushing it into the mainstream.

Many of the most popular rock and roll hits were blues songs that had been written by African-American songwriters, but were re-recorded by white artists. However, many African-Americans broke through into the mainstream, including legendary names like Chuck Berry, Fats Domino, Bo Diddley and Little Richard. The popularity of rock and roll was an important step toward integration, as people of all races came together to both make and enjoy the music.


Word scramble!

ILIVC GSRIHT1. The appeal of rock and roll across racial lines reflected, and contributed to, the

____________ ____________ Movement.

RSOVCE

3. Some of those first rock and roll hits by white musicians were ____________ orrewrites of earlier black rhythm-and-blues or blues songs.

VSELI EEYSPRL

2. Rock and roll was made up of two types of music. Rockabilly, influenced bycountry music, was popularized by white musicians like ________ ___________ .Rock, built on the beats of rhythm & blues, was the type made mostly byAfrican-American musicians like Little Richard.

African-Americans in Pop Music:

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The History of Hip Hop

Directions: Read the passage below and answer the questions that follow.

It is said that hip hop music was born at a birthday party in the Bronx, NY. This popular genre of music started out as party music in the 1970s. It was played by local DJs in the city neighborhoods.

DJs put different pieces of music together. They did this to make new sounds. Then, rapping was added. Rapping is a way of talking over the music with words that rhyme. DJs arranged the beats so that rappers could find a rhythm. Then, the rappers would speak in time with the beat. Rappers often wrote lyrics, or the words of a song, about their own lives.

At first, hip hop served as a response to disco. Disco was a dance music craze in the 1970s. Disco was all about wealth and status. Hip hop emphasized reality and community. Hip hop music and culture became helpful to musicians and listeners. It was a way for them to deal with the difficult things about city life.

Hip hop quickly became an artistic outlet for African Americans. It was a new way to tell stories. From there, hip hop evolved from just a type of music to an entire lifestyle.

Hip hop is an art form that continues to evolve and impact communities today. New artists and new sounds are brought into the genre. The new styles continue to become popular. Hip hop is a genre that is heard and enjoyed all over the world.

1. How are hip hop and disco related?

2. Why do you think hip hop is an important music genre for African Americans?

3. What are two things that make hip hop unique?

4. What is one notable fact about how hip hop music was created?

5. In your own words, write a definition for rapping.

platinum


MOTOWNAnswers: 1. ED SULLIVAN 2. JIM CROW

Motown Records was founded by music producer Berry Gordy Jr. in 1959. After getting his start as a songwriter for singers in the Detroit area, he wanted to try his hand at producing. He began signing local artists to his new label, Tamla, which later became Motown Records. The songs released by his label showed a signature sound -- big, bold orchestrations of jazz, blues, and R&B styles, reflecting the largely African-American culture of the Detroit area – that Gordy called “The Sound of Young America”. It wasn’t long before Motown began scoring hit after hit with songs like “Please Mr. Postman”, “Where Did Our Love Go”, “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg”, and many other songs that define the mid-to-late 1960s for many people. Many of the artists Gordy signed to Motown went on to become legendary, like Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, Diana Ross and the Supremes, The Temptations, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, and the Jackson Five. From 1961 to 1971, Motown had 110 top 10 hit songs, including classics like “My Girl”, “I Want You Back”, and “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough”. The songs that were recorded on the Motown label inspired countless musicians, and the artists that performed them paved the way for African-Americans in entertainment.


Word scramble!

DE VANULSLI1. One mark of the success of Motown was the appearance of The Supremes on The ___ _________ Show, the most famous variety show of the era.

MJI RCOW2. Berry Gordy saw Motown’s music as a way to fight racial prejudice in America. He hoped to see the end of legal segregation, referred to as ____ ________ Laws.

In an effort to win fans across racial lines and help put an end to prejudice, Berry Gordy made strict rules for the appearance, behavior, and even social lives of his musicians. Do you believe he was right to do so? Why or why not?

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Soul

Answers: 1. INAUGURATION 2. CALL AND RESPONSE 3. ADELE

Soul music had its heyday in the mid and late 1960s with the rise in popularity of African-American groups and singers. Soul developed in inner cities with large African-American populations. It is heavily influenced by other traditionally African-American styles of music, joining the fast pace of rhythm and blues, and the intense, passionate delivery of gospel music. Soul is known for having honest and emotional lyrics that often reflect the African-American experience. Pianist Ray Charles is said to have invented the kind of rhythmic music that would become soul. Probably the most famous soul singer is Aretha Franklin, who got her start during the soul music boom in the ‘60s. Her nickname to this day is “The Queen of Soul”. In addition to her, many other legendary artists popularized soul music, like Otis Redding, Marvin Gaye, and Sam Cooke. Though it has always been influential on musicians, soul experienced a comeback in the late 2000s and early 2010s, when female singers began taking an interest in pioneering soul artists, and began embracing soul’s confessional lyrics and powerful vocal style.


Word scramble!

URATININAUGO1. Aretha Franklin sang at the celebration of the ____________________ of President Barack Obama.

LEADE3. British singing sensation __________ has named classic soul music as one of her inspirations.

LCAL SPONSEE2. Soul music often includes a ________ and _____________ style, with vocals as well as with instruments, inspired by gospel music.


Name Date

Jazz Greats: Etta JamesEtta James was born Jamesetta Hawkins in 1938 in Los Angeles, California.

Her great musical gift �rst showed itself when, as a child, she sang in

the St. Paul Baptist Church choir. The �rst few years of her life

were not easy ones. Her mother abandoned her, and she

never knew her father. Her mother’s landlady, Lulu

Rogers, took the baby in. Lulu took over the task of

raising Jamesetta, bringing her to the the Baptist

Church. Jamesetta’s talent was immediately clear, and,

by the age of 5, she was singing on gospel radio shows.

She attracted an audience from all around L.A. who

came to hear her sing.

Lulu Rogers passed away when Jamesetta was 12

years old, and Jamesetta went to live with relatives in San

Francisco. She formed the singing group The Creolettes, who became

The Peaches when they went on tour. It was during this period that she took the name Etta James. In the

1950s, Etta toured with famous rock ‘n’ roller Little Richard. Then, she sang backup on records by Marvin

Gaye, Chuck Berry, and other rock and soul sensations.

Etta moved to Chicago and began to work under the Chess Records label. By 1963, she had

rocketed from poverty up to the big time, having made ten chart-making hits in only three years. In

1974, James fell ill and fell on hard times. She spent months in the hospital, then barely worked for the

next ten years. In 1988, however, she made The Seven Year Itch, her �rst album in seven years. She had

�nally gained the fame she deserved, and she kept it for the rest of her life. She continues to in�uence a

wide range of singers, from Diana Ross to Christina Aguilera.

Directions: Answer the questions below. Use text evidence to support your answers.

1. What is the main idea of Jazz Greats: Etta James? Write it in your own words.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Name Date

2. Choose a quote from the text that supports the following statement, and record it on the lines below.

Etta James had a musical gift that helped her become very successful.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

3. What can you infer about Etta James after learning about her childhood?

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

4. Describe what the author means when the text says, “By 1963, she had rocketed from poverty up to the big time, having made ten chart-making hits in only three years.”

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

5. How does Etta James’s legacy continue in the music community today?

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

6. How did sickness a�ect Etta James’s career?

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

7. What are some examples of Etta James’s success during her lifetime? Include two pieces of evidence from the passage.

a. _____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

b. _____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

Jazz Greats: Etta James

Name Date

Jazz Greats: John ColtraneJohn Coltrane was born in 1926 in Hamlet, North Carolina. Inspired by

his father, who played many di�erent instruments, young John

began studying the E-�at horn and clarinet. As a teen,

in�uenced by musicians such as Lester Young, John

switched to the alto saxophone, the instrument he

would become famous for playing.

John served in the military during World War II,

and he made his �rst recordings during that time.

After the war, he joined the band led by jazz and blues

great Eddie Vinson, which exposed him to new ways of

playing the saxophone. In 1960, Coltrane recorded the

album Giant Steps, made up of his own compositions. In the

same year, he formed his �rst quartet. Their �rst recording

together was also his debut playing soprano saxophone.

As his style developed and changed, Coltrane began to receive criticism from some audiences

and jazz critics. Coltrane and Eric Dolphy, the second horn player in his quartet at the time, were harshly

criticized as “Anti-Jazz” for their unusual sound. Perhaps because of this, Coltrane played more

conservatively in his studio recordings of 1962 and 1963. In 1965, however, with the formation of his

second quartet, his playing took on a more harmonious sound. He played with this band, which

included his wife, Alice, on piano, until his death in 1967.

Coltrane continued to win awards even after death. Among others, he was awarded a Grammy

for "Best Jazz Solo Performance" in 1982, and a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1997.


1. What is the main idea of Jazz Greats: John Coltrane? Write it in your own words.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Name Date


John Coltrane was an award-winning musician.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

3. What can you infer about the fact that Coltrane continued to win awards even after he died?

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

4. Describe what the author means when the text says, “...Coltrane began to receive criticism from some audience and jazz critics.”

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

5. How did playing in the band led by Eddie Vinson bene�t John Coltrane?

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

6. What did John Coltrane do after serving in the military during World War II?

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

7. Who or what in�uenced John Coltrane as a musician? Include two pieces of evidence from the passage.

a. _____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

b. _____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

Jazz Greats: John Coltrane

Composer George Gershwin was born in Brooklyn, New York to a Russian-Jewish family in 1898. Gershwin displayed an interest in music at an early age and took piano lessons. Though he was mainly trained in European techniques, he developed an interest in American music as well and studied both. He took a job writing songs on Tin Pan Alley as a teen, and had his first song published at age 17. He continued writing popular music and songs for the theater. In 1924 he wrote Rhapsody in Blue, an orchestral composition that blended traditional American concert music with elements of jazz, blues, and other contemporary styles. The release of Rhapsody in Blue shook up the conventional music world, and remains one of the most influential pieces of American music to this day. In 1935, Gershwin completed Porgy and Bess, a “folk opera” based on the experiences of African-Americans in the South. The music used many elements of jazz, blues, and folk styles, something unheard of for an opera at the time, and was performed by an entirely African-American cast. Porgy and Bess is now considered one of the most important operas of the 20th century, not only for its groundbreaking score, but for fearlessly focusing on African-Americans at a time when many unjust laws against them were still in effect in many places across the U.S. Gershwin continued to write music until his untimely death from a brain tumor at age 38. Gershwin’s music continues to be performed and studied. Gershwin stands as one of the most influential and respected composers in American musical history.

What Do You Think?

George GERSHWIN

Search online for a recording of Rhapsody in Blue, or look for it on CD at your local library. When you listen to the song, what kinds of music do you hear? How does your mood change as you listen to it? Describe the music, and your reactions, on the back of this sheet.

Answers: 1. GETTING TO KNOW YOU 2. EDELWEISS 3. MY FAVORITE THINGS 4. SOME ENCHANTED EVENING 5. SHALL WE DANCE?

Before becoming a famous American songwriting team, Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein had had successful composing careers on their own, writing music for theater and film. After ending his songwriting relationship with fellow songwriter Lorenz Hart in the 1940s, Rodgers partnered with Hammerstein and they began working together on musicals for the Broadway stage. Together, they wrote the scores to some of the most famous American musicals, including Oklahoma!, The Sound of Music, South Pacific and The King and I. Their work ushered in what is now thought of as “the Golden Age of Broadway” and brought legitimacy to musical theatre, an artform that is now thought of as distinctly American in nature.

Rodgers and Hammerstein produced some of the most famous songs in Americanhistory, and they’ve been passed down from generation to generation. See if youcan unscramble the titles of some of your favorite showtunes below!

Word scramble!

1. NETTIGG OT WKNO OYU (The King and I)2. DWEISELES (The Sound of Music)3. YM FTARVOIE TNGHIS (The Sound of Music)4. MOSE NCEATENHD VNEIENG (South Pacific)5. LSAHL EW DC?NAE (The King and I)

Rodgers & Hammerstein

Cole Porter was born in Indiana in 1891. At a young age, he was enrolled in music lessons, but his family wanted him to be a lawyer. He enrolled in Yale as a young man, where he sang in the school’s glee club and wrote many songs, including the school’s fight song which is still sung today. He moved on to law school after Yale, but soon realized he would rather pursue his passion for music. He continued his studies of music and by 1913 had his first song performed on Broadway. He moved to Paris a few years later and used his experiences there to write the musical Paris, which debuted in 1928 and became his first successful Broadway show. Work slowed down as the Depression took hold of the country, but in the mid-1930s he was approached to write a musical comedy about the the goings-on between the passengers of a luxury ocean liner. The show, Anything Goes, was an immediate success and is still a favorite musical to this day. Anything Goes contains many classic songs of his, including “Let’s Misbehave”, “You’re the Top”, and “I Get a Kick Out of You”. Shortly after the success of Anything Goes, he was hurt while horseback riding, which affected his work. He wrote the scores for a few movie musicals, but made his triumphant return to Broadway with Kiss Me, Kate, a musical comedy based on Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew. It grew to be his biggest hit, running for over 1,000 performances on Broadway and 400 in London. However, in the years after Kiss Me, Kate’s success, his injuries began to cause complications and he retired from songwriting. He is remembered for writing some of the most famous American songs that have been performed over and over, including “Night and Day”, “Begin the Beguine”, and “I’ve Got You Under My Skin”.

Cole Porter

The majority of the Cole Porter songs we still sing today are known as “standards”. These are songs that were written a long time ago, but many people know, and many musicians still perform to this day. Name three other “standards” that you know.

1. ___________________________________________________________________

2. ___________________________________________________________________

3. ___________________________________________________________________

Cole Porter was known for having a great command of language and rhythm. His lyrics not only seemed to match the mood and melody of his songs, but they were witty and meaningful, and used a wide range of vocabulary. On the lines below, write a short poem in the style of one of Cole Porter’s songs. Use the words below as inspiration. Don’t forget to exercise your sense of humor, and try you best to make it rhyme!

Oh, my dear, you _______________________________________________________

You’ve always _________________________________________________________

But when you __________________________________________________________

That’s why ___________________________________________________________ !

Irving Berlin was born Israel Isidore Baline to a Jewish family in Russia in 1888. His family moved to the United States in 1893 to escape persecution in Russia, and settled in New York City. To help support his struggling family, he sang for change in public places as a teenager, where he noticed that the songs people liked best were well-known songs with catchy melodies and lyrics that expressed happiness. As a young man, he worked as a singing waiter in a café, and soon music publishers began to take notice of him. He was offered a job on Tin Pan Alley, the New York neighborhood where many music publishers worked. He wrote popular songs for music publishers, then moved on to writing songs for Broadway musicals. His songs then began to be used in movie musicals, a popular genre of the 1930s and 40s. He continued to write music for stage and screen well into his 50s. Over the course of his career, he wrote about 1,500 songs, many of which became major hits and continue to be performed today. A great number of his songs are now considered American classics, like “Blue Skies”, “There’s No Business Like Show Business”, “Puttin’ on the Ritz”, “God Bless America”, and “White Christmas”. He is an artistic hero to many and is considered one of America’s all-time greatest songwriters.

Irving Berlin

1. Why did Irving's family move to the United States? ___________________________________________________________________________________________

2. What is Tin Pan Alley? _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Answers: 1. TO ESCAPE PERSECUTION IN RUSSIA 2. A NEIGHBORHOOD WHERE MANY MUSIC PUBLISHERS WORKED

Leonard Bernstein was born in Massachusetts in 1918. He studied piano as a child and developed a lifelong love for it, going on to major in Music at Harvard. After completing college, he moved to New York City and took jobs transcribing music and writing arrangements for publishers, and worked his way up to becoming an assistant conductor at the New York Philharmonic Orchestra. One night in 1943, he was rushed in to conduct the New York Philharmonic after their usual conductor fell ill. The night’s concert was nationally broadcast, and Bernstein became an overnight sensation in the world of orchestral music. He then began guest conducting with several orchestras, and composed symphonies and ballets. One of his ballets was adapted into a musical called On the Town, which was later made into a successful MGM movie musical. He also hosted a television show that taught music to children, which made him a well-known name in American homes in the late 1950s. In 1959, he collaborated with writers Arthur Laurents and Stephen Sondheim and choreographer Jerome Robbins to compose the score to West Side Story, now one of the most famous American musicals and his most famous work. He continued conducting and composing for the rest of his life.

Bernstein’s music was famous for combining several different styles of music, including elements of jazz, Jewish folk music, and the works of composers from the 18th and 19th centuries, to create his own signature sound. Search the internet for a recording or video of West Side Story, or check out the film version or cast recording from your local library, and listen to some of the music. Do you hear any of his regular influences, or do you hear something completely different? List the different elements you hear in the song in the space below.________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Leonard Bernstein

Copyright © 2012-2013 by Education.com More worksheets at www.education.com/worksheetsCreated by:

The History of the Piano4`64DADE8GIJA5LHOPQIERQAKJAnr4

The piano is one of the world’s most well-known musical instruments. It has the elements of both a stringed instrument and a keyboard instrument.

The Cristofori piano is the smallest and the very �rst original piano. In 1694 Bartolomeo Cristofori was able to perfect the mechanism of the hammer. He enabled the downward pressure on a key to project a small hammer upwards to pound a string, which is where the sound of a piano comes from.

Over the years, the piano’s many �aws were solved by a number of di�erent piano makers. A big breakthrough came with the creation of the “double escapement” mechanism by Sebastien Erard. His Collard & Collard pianoallowed notes to be played very quickly,

Sebastian Lengerer created the Viennese piano in 1773, which had very narrow keys. Ferdinand Hofmann improved this design by building it with mahogany, which gave it a lighter, delicate sound. This was the piano that greats likeMozart and Beethoven were known to play.

without having to wait for the key to reset. Additionally, it was noticed that square-shaped or rectangular pianos had poor or limited sound quality. So to solve the problem, piano makers began raising the lids on their square pianos to improve sound quality. This innovationis still seen in grand pianos today. In 1857, the modern Steinway Model D piano was invented, and is very similar to the pianos you see today. It was made from a single piece of maple, which helped to give each individual piano a particular sound and character.

Today’s modern pianos have a total of 88 keys and just 3 foot pedals -- one for dampening the sound and two for sustaining the sound.

Comprehension:1. In your own words, how does a piano’s sound work?

2. What did the “double escapement” mechanism do?

3. Name three improvements that make the modern piano what it is today.



The History of the Guitar4`DAtDE8GIJA5LoHOPQIERQA;KJA44

The guitar is an ancient instrument that can be traced back over 4,000 years! There ar theories about its ancestry. Ancient Greeks playeda similar instrument called a kithara, which had

The earliest stringed instruments known to archaeologists are bowl harps and tanburs, which were made with small gourds or hollow tortoise shells. Their necks were made with sticks, and the strings were made from silk or, more commonly, from animal guts.

A slightly more modern version of the gourd instrument, called an oud, was brought to Spain from North Africa by the Moors. Over time, the Europeans added frets to the gourd-like instrument and changed its name to “lute”.

Most of these early instruments had four strings. In medieval manuscripts and old churches, there is

17th century, the Italian guitar battente was made with six strings. Soon guitars all over Europe were seen with this new design. Later on, guitar makers took this design a step further, creating a 12-string guitar!

Today’s classical guitar is modeled after an instrument made by Antonio Torres in the mid-1800s. He made the guitar’s body bigger and changed its shape. This new design revolutionized and improved the sound and volume of the guitar. Soon, guitars were being made with steel strings. In the late 1920s, Orville Gibson was able to improve the design a bit further by adding “pickups,” which then led to the creation of the electric guitar.

-


GIBSONGREEKSGUITARGUITAR BATTENTEINSTRUMENTLUTEMARTINSPAINSTRING TARTANBURS

The History of the Guitar Word Search

Comprehension:1. Describe the earliest version of the guitar. What was it made of?

2. Do you think the guitar will keep on evolving? Describe what you think a future guitar might look like.

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Answer SheetsListen to the Music!

History of JazzHistory of Rock 'n' Roll

History of Hip Hop MusicJazz Greats: Etta James


Name Date

The History of JazzDirections: Read the passage below and answer the questions that follow.

Did you know that jazz music has been around since the late 1800s? It began in African American communities in the South. Since then, jazz has taken the world by storm.

After the abolishment of slavery, many freed slaves tried to �nd work. With strict segregation laws in the South, former slaves had trouble �nding jobs. Most laws did not apply to working in entertainment, though. African Americans got jobs performing music in vaudeville and variety shows. In these shows, an upbeat music called ragtime was popular.

The speci�c birthplace of jazz is New Orleans, Louisiana. It is in this city that ragtime music transformed into jazz music. People from all over the world came by boat every day to the port city of New Orleans. They brought musical traditions from their home countries to New Orleans. The nightclubs and entertainment venues blended the di�erent styles of music. Spanish music, blues, gospel music, and African music were mixed. It then became the lively style known as jazz.

The sounds of jazz spread like wild�re in the 1920s. The United States was changing. Women gained the right to vote. Prohibition came to an end. Wild jazz music became the perfect background music to the turbulent times. Young people of all backgrounds began to take an interest in jazz. This period of time became known as “The Jazz Age”.

Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington are two famous African American musicians. These talented songwriters and performers added excitement to the genre. The Jazz Age included some famous women jazz artists, too. Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday are two beloved performers. These musicians brought their unique talents to the genre. Their in�uences continue to impact the music world today.

Jazz grew and changed through the years. Many new forms of music were created. Jazz’s in�uence reaches almost every form of popular music today.

1. How is jazz related to other types of music?

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. When did jazz become popular?

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3. What is signi�cant about “The Jazz Age”?

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

4. Why did musical styles from other countries in�uence jazz?

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Answers -- Answers will vary, but may include

Jazz is related to other types of music because other genres, like ragtime and the blues, were the foundation for jazz. Also, jazz now influences other types of popular music all over the world.

Jazz became popular in the 1920s during “The Jazz Age”.

“The Jazz Age” was a significant time in the United States because the country was busy with change and it lacked stability. Wild jazz music fit perfectly because that is how life felt for many people.

Jazz began in a port city where people from other countries came by boat. They brought musical traditions from their home countries, and it blended with jazz.

ROCK AND ROLLAnswers: 1.CIVIL RIGHTS2.ELVIS PRESLEY3.COVERS

Rock and roll began in the American south; a combination of the many styles of music that existed in the country at the time. Up until the late 1940s, different cultures in America had created their own styles of music, including blues, jazz, folk, country and swing. Around that time, musicians began to combine the different styles of music, and soon they came together to resemble what we now consider rock and roll. The earliest rock songs are mainly influenced by country and blues.

With more and more families enjoying new prosperity after World War II, their teenage children had free time and money to spend. They began attending local dances and concerts where they heard this new style of music played, and soon began spending their money on records. Disc jockeys began to notice the popularity of the music and began playing it on their radio stations, pushing it into the mainstream.

Many of the most popular rock and roll hits were blues songs that had been written by African-American songwriters, but were re-recorded by white artists. However, many African-Americans broke through into the mainstream, including legendary names like Chuck Berry, Fats Domino, Bo Diddley and Little Richard. The popularity of rock and roll was an important step toward integration, as people of all races came together to both make and enjoy the music.


Word scramble!

ILIVC GSRIHT1. The appeal of rock and roll across racial lines reflected, and contributed to, the____________ ____________ Movement.

RSOVCE

3. Some of those first rock and roll hits by white musicians were ____________ orrewrites of earlier black rhythm-and-blues or blues songs.

VSELI EEYSPRL

2. Rock and roll was made up of two types of music. Rockabilly, influenced bycountry music, was popularized by white musicians like ________ ___________ .Rock, built on the beats of rhythm & blues, was the type made mostly byAfrican-American musicians like Little Richard.



CIVIL RIGHTS

ELVIS PRESLEY

COVERS

ANSWERS


The History of Hip Hop

Directions: Read the passage below and answer the questions that follow.

It is said that hip hop music was born at a birthday party in the Bronx, NY. This popular genre of music started out as party music in the 1970s. It was played by local DJs in the city neighborhoods.

DJs put different pieces of music together. They did this to make new sounds. Then, rapping was added. Rapping is a way of talking over the music with words that rhyme. DJs arranged the beats so that rappers could find a rhythm. Then, the rappers would speak in time with the beat. Rappers often wrote lyrics, or the words of a song, about their own lives.

At first, hip hop served as a response to disco. Disco was a dance music craze in the 1970s. Disco was all about wealth and status. Hip hop emphasized reality and community. Hip hop music and culture became helpful to musicians and listeners. It was a way for them to deal with the difficult things about city life.

Hip hop quickly became an artistic outlet for African Americans. It was a new way to tell stories. From there, hip hop evolved from just a type of music to an entire lifestyle.

Hip hop is an art form that continues to evolve and impact communities today. New artists and new sounds are brought into the genre. The new styles continue to become popular. Hip hop is a genre that is heard and enjoyed all over the world.

1. How are hip hop and disco related?

2. Why do you think hip hop is an important music genre for African Americans?

3. What are two things that make hip hop unique?

4. What is one notable fact about how hip hop music was created?

5. In your own words, write a definition for rapping.

platinum


Answers -- Answers will vary, but may include

Hip hop and disco are related because they were both music genres in the

1970s. Hip hop provided a contrast to disco because, hip hop was about real life hardships while disco emphasized wealth.

Hip hop is an important music

genre for African Americans because it gave us/them an artistic outlet to tell stories in a new way. It was a completely new genre created to represent real life.

Hip hop is unique because it is a genre that began by mixing

different pieces of music together to make new sounds. It is also unique because it introduced rapping.

It is notable that hip hop was created at

a birthday party in the Bronx, NY, by a local DJ playing music.

Rapping is when the artist speaks with rhyming words and

phrases in a rhythm that goes with the music.

Name Date

Jazz Greats: Etta JamesEtta James was born Jamesetta Hawkins in 1938 in Los Angeles, California.

Her great musical gift �rst showed itself when, as a child, she sang in

the St. Paul Baptist Church choir. The �rst few years of her life

were not easy ones. Her mother abandoned her, and she

never knew her father. Her mother’s landlady, Lulu

Rogers, took the baby in. Lulu took over the task of

raising Jamesetta, bringing her to the the Baptist

Church. Jamesetta’s talent was immediately clear, and,

by the age of 5, she was singing on gospel radio shows.

She attracted an audience from all around L.A. who

came to hear her sing.

Lulu Rogers passed away when Jamesetta was 12

years old, and Jamesetta went to live with relatives in San

Francisco. She formed the singing group The Creolettes, who became

The Peaches when they went on tour. It was during this period that she took the name Etta James. In the

1950s, Etta toured with famous rock ‘n’ roller Little Richard. Then, she sang backup on records by Marvin

Gaye, Chuck Berry, and other rock and soul sensations.

Etta moved to Chicago and began to work under the Chess Records label. By 1963, she had

rocketed from poverty up to the big time, having made ten chart-making hits in only three years. In

1974, James fell ill and fell on hard times. She spent months in the hospital, then barely worked for the

next ten years. In 1988, however, she made The Seven Year Itch, her �rst album in seven years. She had

�nally gained the fame she deserved, and she kept it for the rest of her life. She continues to in�uence a

wide range of singers, from Diana Ross to Christina Aguilera.


1. What is the main idea of Jazz Greats: Etta James? Write it in your own words.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Answer Sheet - Sample Answers

Etta James was a gifted singer who went through difficult times and worked

hard to bring herself into fame and a successful career.

Name Date


Etta James had a musical gift that helped her become very successful.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

3. What can you infer about Etta James after learning about her childhood?

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

4. Describe what the author means when the text says, “By 1963, she had rocketed from poverty up to the big time, having made ten chart-making hits in only three years.”

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

5. How does Etta James’s legacy continue in the music community today?

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

6. How did sickness a�ect Etta James’s career?

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

7. What are some examples of Etta James’s success during her lifetime? Include two pieces of evidence from the passage.

a. _____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

b. _____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

Jazz Greats: Etta James

“Jamesetta’s talent was immediately clear, and, by the age of 5, she was

singing on gospel radio shows.”

Student answers will vary, but may include: I can infer that Etta James was a resilient

person that reached a high level of achievement despite a difficult childhood.

The author means that Etta James was no longer poor, and she was a well-

known star. She created ten very popular songs in a short period of time.

Etta James’s legacy continues in the music community today as she

influences a wide range of singers.

Sickness affected Etta James’s career because she barely worked for 10

years from the late 1970s into the 1980s.

She went on tour with famous rock ‘n’ roller Little Richard.

She was a backup singer on records by famous artists, like Marvin

Gaye and Chuck Berry.

Name Date

Jazz Greats: John ColtraneJohn Coltrane was born in 1926 in Hamlet, North Carolina. Inspired by

his father, who played many di�erent instruments, young John

began studying the E-�at horn and clarinet. As a teen,

in�uenced by musicians such as Lester Young, John

switched to the alto saxophone, the instrument he

would become famous for playing.

John served in the military during World War II,

and he made his �rst recordings during that time.

After the war, he joined the band led by jazz and blues

great Eddie Vinson, which exposed him to new ways of

playing the saxophone. In 1960, Coltrane recorded the

album Giant Steps, made up of his own compositions. In the

same year, he formed his �rst quartet. Their �rst recording

together was also his debut playing soprano saxophone.

As his style developed and changed, Coltrane began to receive criticism from some audiences

and jazz critics. Coltrane and Eric Dolphy, the second horn player in his quartet at the time, were harshly

criticized as “Anti-Jazz” for their unusual sound. Perhaps because of this, Coltrane played more

conservatively in his studio recordings of 1962 and 1963. In 1965, however, with the formation of his

second quartet, his playing took on a more harmonious sound. He played with this band, which

included his wife, Alice, on piano, until his death in 1967.

Coltrane continued to win awards even after death. Among others, he was awarded a Grammy

for "Best Jazz Solo Performance" in 1982, and a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1997.


1. What is the main idea of Jazz Greats: John Coltrane? Write it in your own words.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Answer Sheet - Sample Answers

John Coltrane is a well-known saxophone player and award-winning musician

who was influential in creating a new jazz sound during his career.

Name Date


John Coltrane was an award-winning musician.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

3. What can you infer about the fact that Coltrane continued to win awards even after he died?

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

4. Describe what the author means when the text says, “...Coltrane began to receive criticism from some audience and jazz critics.”

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

5. How did playing in the band led by Eddie Vinson bene�t John Coltrane?

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

6. What did John Coltrane do after serving in the military during World War II?

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

7. Who or what in�uenced John Coltrane as a musician? Include two pieces of evidence from the passage.

a. _____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

b. _____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________


“Among others, he was awarded a Grammy for “Best Jazz Solo Performance”

in 1982, and a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1997.”

Answers will vary, but may include: I can infer that John Coltrane was an extremely influential musician in the jazz

community if he was continuing to win awards after he died. I can also infer that he left a lasting impact on music.

The author means that many people did not like Coltrane’s music style as he

changed and developed it.

Playing in the band led by Eddie Vinson was beneficial for John Coltrane because he was exposed

to new ways of playing the saxophone. This helped him develop as a musician.

After serving in the military during World War II, John Coltrane joined a band

and focused on his music career.

His father played many different instruments and inspired John to

begin studying different instruments, too.

He was influenced by Lester Young, which helped him decide to

switch to the alto saxophone.

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